Theft signal



Oct. 2 L. R. ZEPKA THEFT SIGNAL Filed Dec. 15, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 on TAMPBRING oF' 15 UNAUTHORIZED iGNAL s D\6PL FoR ARREST v W SK Q W Oct. 2 1923. 1,469,570

L. R. ZEPKA TI-VIEFT SIGNAL Filed DeG- 15 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 L-R-I ZePKa.

' Get. 2 1923., 1,469,570

L. R. zEPkA THEFT SIGNAL Filed Dec. 15, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l Patented Oct. 2, 1923.

To all whom it may concern: 1

it ST Application filed December Be itknown that I, LUDWIG RxZnrri-A,

4 the line -5..5 of Figure i opiate andsignal plate employed, the view plate, is inserted in position, V V

' "device, 7

. view of the base,

In the drawings:

prov d S gnal,

citizen of the United States, residing, at

" Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and estate of Ohio, have invented certain new and: useful Improvements in Theft Signals,

of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to an improved theft signal for motorvehicles and'seeks, as. one of its principal objects, to provide a device which may: be conspicuously mounted permanently upon a vehicle for displaying a signal apprising the'public when the vehicle is being operated by-an unauthorized pers l a a V Afurther object of the invention IS tO' providea signal employing a'base and a detachable signal plate-for displaying a signal and wherein, when it is not desired to display the signal, the plate may be removed or detached from the base.

And the inventionvhas as astill further object to provide asignal embodying means for automatically locking the signal plate uponithe base when inserted therein but wherein'the signal plate cannot then be detached fromfthe base without a proper key for releasing the plate.

Other and incidental objects will appear he nafter.

Figure l is a rear eleveation of my inn Figure 2' is: a vertical sectional view through the device, e

F gure 3 is a horizontal sectionalview'on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking inthe direction .ofthe arrows,

Figure '7 is-a perspective viewshowing oneaof the securing pins or'fthe .baseoffithe Figure 8 is affragmentary bottom plan Figure 9 iswa horizontal sectional view showing azslight modification of the invention,

siomm a 15,i 1921.: Serialnb. 522,519: y

Figure 10' isfa vertical sectionalyiwfofthe mod fi d s ruct re, 1 I v F gurell is a perspective view-of a spacer block illustrated in connection with. the 1 modified structure, and l igure 12 is fragmentary perspective view of the s gnalplate asemployed in con- .nectifOn "with the modified structure. e

. iReferringnow more particularly to Fig uresl to8 inclusive-ofthe drawings, I ene vas P 0y a bas wh c i L-formcd .of o a bottom S i QlO, and 1a lna i giclap section .11 fitting over the-bottom section; At its ends, the eapiisection-is provided with-'rearwardly r diref tfi -wings 12 and formed through both of the sections isa' medial vertical, slot 13 1 reduced in lengt h near theup'per face of;

the section 10 to idefineta pair-"of shoulders :14, In advance; oflth'e slot 13, the sections are further providedavith a'ninternal recess 15 lying in parallel'relation to the slot 8 1 13 and slidableoin said recessis a catch plate v. 16, Communicating with the recessat one end thereofis a chamber l7;an didi sposedlin ,saidchamber is spring 18 coacting with .dlheadJflCflIllQifiIld oft-he plate, Atthe junc "tion between the sections 10 and .11 the sec- .tions areprovided with-[spaced laterally dii rected slots l9 extending from, th l tg 13 nd fiX d' o'thc'plateM are latera -"P l a 2 0 freely received said slots. Confined ;between the sections at e p0intsubstahtiall-y m dway betweentheslotsele, is an appropriate .ljocki 2L extending rrearwardly through the reargside wall :of the sectionll so that the-bckkey, as indicated at 22, may I. a

be. readily inserted in: the lock, and: secured v-to the lock cylinder atjzitsji-nner'end is a crank 23 provided with a Pll1'.24:' freely Engaginginrimfopening -25- ini the catch plate. ,l husythe key 22 :may he turned for rotating theglockicylinder and accordingly swinging the? cranlri23f tofs'hift the catch I plate 'endwi'se-j against the tension ofthe spring 18. 'Formed'. through' thei' sections. 'lOiand 11 near tithe i lower "face-i:

of I the w former, section, is va .zplurality V of spaced horizbntallfdisposed preferably square; openings "26.. ,As shown in 1 Figure 1 6, the igatch plateelfi is. formed with'a like 5 number of registering slots. 27,.the: rear end i -Walls of which ariestraight. In, ;V-practice,

' the device is mounted up'on the wind shield.

*Qfa vehicleito supplant-the usual "handle upon the wind?'shieldandjl. have",-.acc,ord .ingly,,in' Figure a, conventionally showira."Q V j windshield "28. The bdlts securing the usual *handle as well as the handle itself,

are first removed when thebase is rested. flat against the wind shield frame at its inj ner side and for then securing'the base to the frame I provide 'a pair of securing pins 29. At their outer ends these pins are provided with heads to seat fiat against the outer face of the wind shield frame while r at their inner ends said'pins are formed with beveled faces 30,-the pins being provided with squared shanks to extend into a 7 "pair of the openings 26 in the base through the catch "plate16. Four-of the openings 26 are provided since the spacing of the bolt openings inthewind shield frames of different vehicles may vary. As will beobtersect the openings'26 near their inner ends are, as shown in Figure 8, slots 31, atthe outer ends Jofwhicl'r are recesses 32 and freely received in said slots are" locking screws 33 threaded into the inner end portions'of the pins, the heads of the screws being accommodated in the recesses '82. As -=modate any variation in the thickness of j different wind shield frames and embedding each of the screws 33 is a filler 347C011- cealing the screws, The pins-29 thus serve will be appreciated, theslots 31 will accomto rigidly connect-the base to the wind shieldframe'while no means for releasin'g' the pins Will be visible;

jfectuallyli prevent v removal of'the pins, I I providesaid pins with notches35 in'which the straight end walls of the slots 27 of the Y catch plate 16 engage in the normal position V of' the plate. Accordingly, the catch .plate' However; to ef- 1 will normally locksaid pins against retrac tit-ion. It is now tobe noted that the wings 2 12 :of the base may be readily grasped for nanipulating'the wind shield. 7 e In conjunction with the base, I' employ 1 i asi'gnalplate 36 reduced at its lower margin to provide a tongue 37- adapted to freely TlllS tongue is, as shown in Figure 2, pro- 'z'vided with a central opening to fit over the fit inn-the. fslot- 13 abutting theshoulders l4.

' {lock 21 and formed in the tongue near itsends ziare substantially L-shaped slots '38 opening through theglower' edge ofthe' tongue; At

,athe-inouth of e'a'ch'of theseslots, the lower megs. of the tongue is cut away to provide 7 -a bexielcd face 'iif), the" faces sloping toward,

woneend of the' tongue. IThllS, the tongue of the plate maybe inserted in the slo't 13' to engage the beveled faces 39*Ofhl18vLOI1 gu6 with the pins 20 when, by pressingdownwardly upon the plate, said faces will coact with the pins for shifting the catch plate 16 endwise against the tension'of the spring 18 and riding the pins into the s1ots'38.

The pins will then, of course, operate to securely'lock the signal plate upon the base upstanding therefrom at the inner side of the wind shield-28. The plate, as suggested in Figure'l, carries a suitable warning indicating that the occupancy, starting, and

driving of the vehicle, as well as tampering '-.therewith, when the signal is displayed,jis

unauthorized so that, asvwill be seen, possibility of theft of a' vehicle carrying the signal will be reducedto aminimum. When it is not-desired to displaythesi'gnal the key 22 is insertedrin the lock 21-and operated, as previously described, to retract-the catch plate 16 when, as will be, at :once understood, the signal plate 36 may be lifted upwardly out of the slot. 13:,and removed.

Referring now to Figures 9 to 12 of the" drawings, showing the modified form of the invention, it will'be seen that I employa 'base comp-rising sections 40 and'il' corresponding to the sections of thebaseof the preferredconstruction. The b aseis formed "with a central vertical sl0t'42 corresponding to the slot 13 and slidably mounted inthe base is a catch plate correspondingto the plate 16. However, in the present instance,

the plate 4&3 is, as shown in Figure 9, pro-' vided with spaced cam lugs 44- and slidably mounted in the-base at right angles tofsaid plate are pins 45 extending'across'theupper These pins-are formed 7 edge of the plate;

with shoulders 46 normally abutting the? plate and coacting with said shouldersfare springs 47 normally holding the-pins projected .into theslot 42b t signalplate 1481s employed, this plate corresponding to the plate 36 of the preferred construction. At'

its lower margin the plate is provided with a tongue49 freely fitting in the slot lQand 7 7 formed through the tongue are spaced open .ings 50 accommodatingthe pins 45'. iBelo-w said openings therplate is, as: shown in de' 1 tail in Figure 12,"provided"withbeveled faces 51 to coact with the outer ends of the pins. Accordingly, after the tongue .49 has been inserted inthe' slot; {L2 to uengage' the pins, downward pressure upon the platewill then serve to ride the beveled faces5l=over theadjacent ends of the pins for forcing the pins endwise against the tension off the springs 47 -As the downward movement of :the tongue 49 is'thus continued,-the o-peningsfi- 125 r when the-springs 47 will: serve toipr'oject 50 will be brought into register with thepins the pins through said openings" forthus l'ockingthe signalplateupon-the bass The 7 base carries an appropriate lock --5 2, asj in the preferred construction, andbsecur edito for retracting said pins to free the plate 48.

Thus, the plate may be readily inserted in position or removed while, under normal circumstances, the plate will be securely locked upon base. In this modification, the

' base is mounted upon a wind shield as in the preferred construction and I have, accordingly, conventionally shown a wind shield at 54. In this instance, however, a wind shield having an oval frame is illustrated, and in order that the device may be readily attached to such a wind shield Iprovide a spacer strip 55 which is formed at one side with a concave face to seat against the wind shield frame and at its opposite side with a flat face to coact with the'base of the device. Extending through the wind shield frame, the spacer strip, and into the base, are securing pins 56, as in the preferred construction, these pins being held by screws 57 and being locked by the plate 4:3. Surrounding thepins to bear between'the heads thereof and the outer face of the wind shield frame are washers 58 having concave inner sides to fit the frame while the outer sides of 7 said washers are flat to coact with the heads catch plate upon the basehaving means for automatically locking said signal plate upon the base when inserted therein.

3. A theft signal including a base, a signal plate insertable therein, a spring pressed catchupon the base for automatically looking said plate upon the base when inserted therein, and a lockcarried by thebase and operable for retracting said catch.

4. A theft signal including abase provided with a slot, a spring pressed catch upon the base having a pin intersecting saidslot, and a signal plate 'insertable in the a slot to coact with said pin tobe-detachably locked thereby upon the base. i

5. A theft signal including a base provided with a slot, a Spring pressed catch upon the base having a pin intersecting said slot, a signal plate inse'rtable in the slotto .coact with said pin to' be. 'detachably locked thereby upon the base, and a lock upon the base having a cylinder provided with a crank 'coactlng with said catch and operable for retracting the catch. I

6. A theft signal includingfa sectional base, a removable 'sign'al'plateassociated"v therewith, and means locking the sections against separation and provided with means locking the plate upon the base.

7. A theft signal including abase, a spring pressed catch carried thereby, anda'signal plate insertable in the basea'ndprovided with means to'coact with the catch for shift;

ing the catch to engage the plate. 1. V

8. A theft signal including a base, a spring pressed catch having a locking pin, and a slotted signal plate'insertable in the base and provided with a beveled face to c0- act with said pin for shiftingthe'catch to engage the pin in the slot of the plate.

9. A theft signal, including a base, an at;

taching pin extendinginto the base, the pin having a notch formed therein, aspring pressed catch upon the base normallyfem gaging in said notch "locking the pin against retraction, and a signal plate removably secured uponthe base by said catch. 1

10. 'A theft signal including a sectional i base, an attaching pin locking the sections" against separation, a removable signal plate coacting with the base, and means locking the plate upon the base aswell as also lock-f ing said pin against displacement.

'11. A theft signal including a same base, attachingmeans for the base securing, the sections against separation, a removable signal plate coacting with the' base, and.

means lockingv said attaching meansagainst displacementand provided with means locking the plate uponthe base. I. A

mX-sig'nature,

EL. s]

In testimony whereof I aflix 'LUDWIG R. ZEPK 

